Local student tackles concussion story for PBS NewsHour

By | February 3, 2014 |

Part of Kimberly Chexnayder’s interest in reporting on the topic of concussions is the fact that she suffered one herself while playing basketball. “I had had a concussion before, so the topic of concussions and the NFL and these recent lawsuits kind of peaked my interest,” said Chexnayder, who is a senior at Paseo Academy…

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Public hearing spotlights plans for unaccredited districts

By | January 30, 2014 |
wide shot of crowd in an auditorium

  The auditorium at Paseo Fine and Performing Arts Academy was nearly full of parents, teachers and community members Wednesday night for a public hearing hosted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on plans to address unaccredited school districts in the state. Kansas City Public Schools is one of three districts currently…

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Education Q&A: Christina Chandler, student teacher

By | January 29, 2014 |
headshot of woman with books behind her.

Christina Chandler is a 3rd grade student teacher at Red Bridge Elementary School. After hours, she devotes 10-20 hours a week coaching Center School District’s FIRST® LEGO® League teams. FLL gets 9 to 14-year-olds interested in engineering through robotics competitions. One of the teams Chandler works with is the Rocking Robo Roadrunners. This month they…

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Documentary examines link between race and education

By | January 29, 2014 |
Close-up of teenage, African-American male sitting in a desk and looking towards the front of the classroom, looking mildly bored.

Lindsey Foat – The Hale Center for Journalism Editor’s note: Reporter Lindsey Foat received a grant from PBS’s program “POV” to create community engagement around the “American Promise” documentary and to produce a short video localizing the issue. Most people would agree that education and economic opportunity are essential components of the American Dream. A new documentary,…

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State of the States Focus on Education

By | January 27, 2014 |

Education was a major focus of both Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s respective State of the State addresses. Here are highlights from both speeches. Full transcriptions of Brownback and Nixon’s speeches can be found at respective links. Brownback delivered his speech Jan. 15, 2014. He championed a state plan to fund…

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